Real Madrid News
Real Madrid set to welcome back five major stars as Jose Mourinho finally gets full squad
New manager Jose Mourinho has been working with a much-marginalised squad for his first pre-season back at Real Madrid.
The Portuguese tactician has used quite a lot of Castilla players to make up the numbers during pre-season so far, with Alexis Ciria particularly catching the eye.
Now, according to Defensa Central, Jose is set to have his Real Madrid squad virtually complete from 10 August, with several of the club’s biggest names returning from their post-World Cup break.
Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham, Aurelien Tchouameni and Ibrahima Konate are all expected to be back at Valdebebas on Monday, with Marc Cucurella set to join a day or two later.
Mourinho gets his group together, finally
The timing is important because Madrid are approaching the final stretch of pre-season.
New signing Yan Diomande and the injured Thibaut Courtois have already been working individually at the training ground while waiting for the rest of the squad from Hungary.
That means Jose will finally be able to work with almost the entire squad together rather than building around bits and pieces.
Mbappe, Bellingham, Tchouameni and Konate are due to undergo medical checks before returning to full training.
Cucurella, who had a longer summer after Spain’s World Cup triumph, is expected to undergo the same and link up with the squad later this week.
Their return should give Mourinho far more clarity ahead of the remaining friendlies against Deportivo La Coruna and Schalke 04, both of which will be valuable tests before the league campaign begins.
Pre-season hierarchy can now become clearer
Until now, Mourinho has been forced to experiment heavily because so many first-team players were unavailable.
That has created opportunities for academy players and allowed the coach to test different systems, but the return of the senior internationals means the real competition for places now begins.
Players such as Bellingham, Mbappe and Tchouameni are expected to occupy major roles, while Cucurella and Konate will also strengthen a squad that has undergone significant changes this summer.
The report also stresses that Mourinho intends to set clear standards once the full squad are together.
Discipline, order and commitment are expected to be central to his approach, both on and off the pitch.
That makes the coming week especially important. Real Madrid are no longer in the experimental phase of pre-season.
It is time to start preparing for the real action to begin, and Jose will be hoping to integrate the returning stars sooner rather than later.
Real Madrid News
Two Real Madrid stars train at club facilities on day off after beating Inter Milan
According to reports on El Chiringuito TV (h/t Bernabeu Digital), two Real Madrid stars, Yan Diomande and Brahim Diaz, trained at the club’s Valdebebas facilities today despite the players being given the day off by manager Jose Mourinho.
Real Madrid were in action late on Tuesday night as they defeated Inter Milan 2-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu in their first UEFA Champions League match of the season.
Following that, Mourinho decided to give his players a rest day before starting preparations for the weekend La Liga fixture against Rayo Vallecano.
Despite that, both Diomande and Diaz, who compete for the right-wing spot in the team, showed up at the club facilities and trained by themselves.
Diomande yet to get going
Diomande has not made the ideal start to life at Real Madrid. As the most expensive signing in the club’s history, the €140 million price tag inevitably brings enormous expectations, even if that pressure is arguably unfair on such a young player.
Mourinho has deliberately avoided throwing the Ivorian straight into the spotlight, instead introducing him gradually and giving him minutes from the bench.
However, the patience surrounding his adaptation is beginning to be tested as supporters expect more from a player who cost such a huge fee.
Aware that his first performances in white have not been his best, Diomande travelled to Valdebebas on Wednesday morning to train, despite Mourinho giving the entire squad a day off.
Brahim also gives up his day off
Diomande was not the only Madrid player to make that decision. Brahim Diaz also reported to the Ciudad Real Madrid, choosing to train individually despite being given the day off after the Champions League victory over Inter Milan.
The Moroccan attacker started against Inter and played until the 80th minute, producing an impressive performance on both sides of the ball.
Neither Brahim nor Diomande currently has a guaranteed starting role, but both are responding to Mourinho’s demands by putting in additional work.
For Real Madrid, those gestures are an encouraging sign. The Merengues are seeing a squad that appears increasingly disciplined and committed, while the extra effort from players competing for places can help create a healthy level of competition.
It is also precisely the type of attitude Mourinho values. For Diomande in particular, the extra session represents an opportunity to work away from the spotlight and begin closing the gap between his current performances and the very high expectations that came with his record transfer.
